Impatient
by They Call Me Soysauce
Summary: Where has Soubi disappeared to, and what happens when Ritsuka finds out? Disclaimer: I do not own Loveless.
1. Gone Missing

The warm afternoon sun shone down on Soubi as he navigated the streets, a gentle breeze blowing his hair back like a hero's flowing cape. It was summer now, and school had been out for several days. Things were going so well between him and Ritsuka, it was hard to believe how high tensions had ran just a couple weeks ago. Studies on hold, the two had been getting along much better. A smile crept it's way onto Soubi's face as he thought of Ritsuka's warm smile and forgiving eyes.

"Hello..." Soubi whirled around. "...Soubi-kun."

Casually leaning against a nearby building was a man, shrouded in the darkness of the shadows. Though he hung his head so his face could not be seen, Soubi knew exactly who the stranger was. Glaring at the man, Soubi replied with a steel tone in his voice. "What do you want, Ritsu-sensei?"

"Ah, you recognized me," Ritsu replied, stepping out into the sunlight.

"What are you doing here? I have no business with you."

"Ouch," Ritsu's hand rose to his chest, a hurt expression on his face. "That hurt, Soubi-kun." He smirked, getting straight to the point. "No matter who your 'master' is, you'll always belong to me. I'm here to reclaim you, Soubi-kun. To remind you --"

Ritsu's cell phone rang.

Boop.

"Yes?...Oh...All right...I'll be there shortly...Yes...Yes...Arigatou." He snapped the phone closed. "Well, Soubi-kun, I must be going. But I'll be back for you later." Ritsu stepped back into the shadows, and was gone.

I have to leave here. Soubi thought. If Ritsu finds Ritsuka, he may... No, I have to keep Ritsuka from enduring the same thing I did.

--

Ritsuka was sitting on his bed, where he'd been all day, despite his mother's pleas. The curtains fluttered and Ritsuka immediately bolted off his bed. "Soubi!"

He threw back the curtains. "Soubi!! It's been over a week! Where have you... been?" The balcony was empty. The summer night had only been playing a cruel joke on the catboy. "Soubi..."

Ritsuka snatched his cell phone off his desk before plopping back onto his bed. He stared at the phone for a moment, fixated, before dialing with a shaky hand.

Dooooop. Dooooop. Dooo—

"Hello?"

"Soubi! Where are you?! I've been waiting for almost two weeks!!" Ritsuka managed to squeak out.

"Ritsuka?"

"Soubi! Where are you?"

"I'm sorry, I can't talk now."

"Tell me where you are. Right now! That's..."

"...An order?" Soubi guessed.

"Yes!"

"Please, forgive me."

"Soubi! Answer me! That's an order! Answer!" Tears pooled as Soubi hung up. "...Me." Ritsuka let the phone slip from his hand and fall on the bed. Dammit Soubi! You jerk! How could you hang up on me?! I hate you! 

Ritsuka scanned the photos on his bulletin board. No... I don't hate you. But I don't understand you either!! He fingered one photo, one memory, of them together in the park when they had just met. I don't know you any more now than I did back then... 

In the middle of Ritsuka's stroll down Memory Lane, his phone rang. "Soubi?!" He dashed to his phone. But the number on the screen was one he didn't recognize.

Riinnng! Riinnng! Rii—

"Um, hello?" A confused Ritsuka answered.

"Aoyagi? Aoyagi Ritsuka, right?"

"Um, yes..."

"Good. I'm Kaido Kio, Soubi's friend."

"Kaido-san? Why have you called me?" It was all so confusing! "Do you... know where Soubi is?"

"Well... um..." Kio stuttered. Why am I even calling this little punk? He glanced at the note Soubi had left on the able. It revealed his current location. You leave a note telling where you are. But then you scribble "don't tell Ritsuka" on the bottom, like it was an afterthought. I know that you don't want me to follow you, no matter how much I wish that were the case. What are you doing Sou-chan? 

"Hello? Kaido-san? Are you still there?" Kio snapped back to reality. I know you wrote not to tell him, but I have a feeling that you didn't mean that. So... 

"...Yes, I'm still here." Kio sighed. "I know where Sou-chan is. He left a note, and, well, why don't I just tell you exactly where he is..."

Ritsuka leapt up, searching for a paper and something to write with. Kio started reciting the address just as he found a pencil, so Ritsuka scribbled the location on his bedroom wall. He'd worry about hiding that later.

"Okay, got it! Arigatou, Kaido-san."

"Um..." Kio hung up, still confused about why he'd even called Ritsuka in the first place.

Ritsuka, left listening to the dial tone, sighed. "Why do people keep hanging up on me?" he quietly murmured to himself. "Whatever. At least I know where his is. But what's that idiot doing in America?"


	2. Wait For Me

Sunshine poured in from slits in the blinds, flooding the room with light and drowning every shadow. "Nnngh…" groaned the sleepy jet lag victim. Soubi blindly groped around for a pillow. He clutched the first one he felt, failing to realize he had grabbed the blanket as well. He flung it towards the window, sending the covers flying after it. A gust of cold, California morning air swept over Soubi. He shot up in bed. "C-cold!"

He glared around the room, gradually growing accustom to the cool air. The bedroom was rather empty, containing only the furniture and themed decorations. All of his belongings, still packed, had been carelessly dropped near the door.

Soubi went out into the main room of his condo. Looking out the window, he caught a glimpse of the beach, Pismo Beach. He longed to walk across the sandy strip a block away. _Maybe I should go, _he considered with a sigh. Soubi'd hardly been outside the condo since he'd arrived. _No. This isn't a pleasure trip,_ he thought, rejecting the idea.

He slowly eased himself onto the couch. Soubi reached for the TV remote, but his hand hovered above it instead as he stared at the photo next to the remote. His eyes were fixated on the same photo of them that Ritsuka had been holding on a few moments ago.

He left the couch and wandered back to the bedroom. Soubi looked at his phone. _Hmm… Somebody sent me an email._ He flipped open the phone.

"_Soubi! Why are you in California?" _Soubi read. _Oh, he found out. Maybe I shouldn't have left that note…. _He looked down at the message again. _"I thought I told you not to lie to me anymore. Tell me why – That's an order!"_

Soubi smiled, imaging Ritsuka's face when he typed that. Ritsuka was so cute when he was irritated. Soubi decided to send a message of his own, smiling at the mental image of the face he was sure that Ritsuka would be making when he read _that_.

"_Sorry Ritsuka,"… "if I'd stayed, he'd find you,"… "I won't let that happen,"… What did he mean?_ Ritsuka stuffed a jacket into his bag. _"Kiss me,"… "I didn't have the time before I left." _Irritated and confused, Ritsuka shoved a few more items in his bag, then struggled to close it.

"You want a kiss?" Ritsuka asked his collection of photos. "Fine." He grabbed his bag, then quietly slide open the glass door, stepping outside. "I'm… going to find you."

And with those final words, Ritsuka jumped off the balcony and into the darkness of night.


	3. Found You

_"Wow Soubi! It's amazing!!" Ritsuka exclaimed, admiring the small painting in Soubi's hands. _

_" _It's for you." 

_" _Really? Wow… wow!! Thank you Soubi!" 

" Thank… you…" Ritsuka barely whispered. He felt a tug at his ear. "Ow!" Ritsuka jerked awake. The little boy behind him tugged his ear again. Ritsuka slid further down into his seat, away from the toddler's hand. Once safe, he gently rubbed his neko ear. 

_It's like nobody here has ever seen a boy with ears before…_ Ritsuka glanced around the airplane. All the passengers were looking at him funny, even the flight attendants. Not a single on of them had ears. _…Then again, maybe they haven't._

_-- _

"Welcome to California!" said a woman with a microphone. Her voice echoed in the plane's speakers. "We will be landing in three minutes. Don't forget you luggage!"

--

Soubi had fallen asleep on the couch. The TV was still on, and his miso soup sat on the table; cold, unfinished, and forgotten. He was dreaming of walking on the beach. Though he was alone in the beginning of his dream, Ritsuka had joined him somehow. It was a knock on the door that eventually woke Soubi from his happy dream.

_Rat tat tat! Rat tat tat!_

The sleepy man slowly walked over to the door.

_Rat tat tat!_

Soubi opened the door, forgetting to check who was knocking. Standing in the doorway was a catboy. "Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka's hand shot up, grabbing Soubi's collar and jerking him down. Once at eye level, he kissed the older man. After a second, Soubi loosely wrapped his arms around the catboy.

Soubi broke the kiss, whispering, "I was going back in a day or two…"

Ritsuka leaned into Soubi's warm embrace. "I'm impatient…" Both were silent for a moment. "Let's go home…"

Soubi smiled. "If you don't mind," he began, "there's something I'd like to do first…."


End file.
